In service-oriented industries such as the insurance industry, offices traditionally were staffed with sales personnel working on a one-to-one basis with walk-in or phone-in customers. Often personnel time would be inefficient since advice and quotations given do not result in a sale. The potential customer might have been under sales pressure, and had to visit or call various companies in order to obtain competing coverages and prices. Thus, time and energy would be wasted for both the industry and the customer, increasing the cost of receiving such services and thereby reducing their demand.
Some individual insurance companies have more recently had sites on the Internet where they provide information or quotes regarding their products. Such websites may be advertised in various ways, including through registering with popular search engines. However, it may be necessary for a potential customer to go to the websites of several insurance companies in order to get competing quotes, typically spending considerable time inputting the same data at each website.
A need exists for potential purchasers of insurance to be able to go to one location or website, input information, and receive quotes for insurance from a plurality of competing insurance companies. In addition, a need exists for insurance companies offering competitive products to be able to advertise and communicate more efficiently and effectively with customers looking for their products and services. Further, a need exists for insurance brokers or agents to be able to more efficiently sell a variety of insurance products from a plurality of insurance companies.